Return of the Pretty Lady

I have been redeemed in the eyes of the neighborhood children, and all it took was letting my hair down, literally.

Ever since I grew my hair long while working in an environment that put me at a high risk for head lice, I've worn my long hair up. I now have a few additional reasons for doing this.

1) Despite what the folks at the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Hair Academy say about my hair being "strong," it is only stubborn. It generally refuses all styling, or at least the amount I can must in the morning. Loose buns prove much easier.

2) My hair is relatively thin. Thick luscious hair I will never know. It is part of the reason my hairstylist is always telling me to switch my part.

3) My hair is also very fine. On the few occasions on which I do style it, it very quickly falls flat. Plus a light breeze, let alone all the tossing and turning that I do in a night, leave it a tangled mess.

Plus, thanks to a recent sunburn on my part line, I've got a nasty peeling problem that looks like the worst case of dandruff known to mankind. My boyfriend likes to tease me about it in public.

Tonight, I let my hair down to let it finish drying before I went to bed. I went to check on a load of laundry in the dryer, and as I stepped out, I heard the words of an angelic pre-teen girl.

"You look pretty with your hair down. You should do it more often."

The first thought to cross my mind was, "Who was she talking to?"

The second was, "She's talking about me. I'm pretty."

Third thought, "Say something nice or you will soon be Rude Lady."

My witty reply, "Thanks."

I now confidently banish Mean, Old Lady and redub myself Pretty Lady.